frankkster

[frankkster]

OUR HEART PROBLEM

Do you share the opinion of famed Indian actor and atheist Kamal Hassan? It wouldn’t surprise me. There was a time when I thought this way, too. So stick with me as I do my imperfect best to unpack this statement and, hopefully, persuade you to rethink your position. First of all, The U.S.-based World Food Program says this: “There is no global food shortage because we produce more than enough…

[frankkster]

WHO KNOWS IT ALL?

Maybe you’ve encountered some “religious” Christians who left you with a bad taste in your mouth because they insisted all they need to know can be found in the Bible. I’m with you on this. In fact, this is just one more reason why I want nothing to do with “religion” (a few more reasons can be found here: https://frankscottage.blog/2018/06/30/the-unniceness-of-religion/). I’m a man of faith…

[frankkster]

PAYING THE COST

Anyone familiar with Jesus of Nazareth – who many people believe is the Son of God – will be confounded, perplexed and, often, offended by the truth advanced in the atheist meme that kicked off this blog. So stick with me while I do my very imperfect best to explain it and, hopefully, give you a life-giving new perspective on what it means to be a Jesus follower. First, a little history. In…

[frankkster]

FROM SLAVES TO DIVINE PARTNERS

Oh, boy. There is a lot to unpack in this atheist meme, so if you’re wondering if the viewpoint expressed here has any accuracy, stick around. It’ll be worth your while. Followers of Jesus of Nazareth — who many people believe is the Son of God — have come to understand who He is and who they are. In response to that, people like me have made conscious decisions to make Jesus our Lord, our…

[frankkster]

WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?

The title of this album, recorded almost 50 years ago by actor/singer David Soul (famous for co-starring in TV’s Starsky & Hutch) has always stuck with me. At the time, I recall a particularly unpleasant reviewer declaring that after being forced to hear the album, it now had an audience of none. 😦 From my perspective as a retired 60-something, almost all of us spend our lives playing to…

[frankkster]

MONEY? NO. PARTNERSHIP? YES!

Ah, Homer Simpson. That great thinker, philosopher, speaker of eloquent brilliance and general renaissance man has come up with another morsel of life-changing gold. Okay, maybe not. 😉 But this quote, from the long-running animated TV show, does open the door to exploring one of the contentious points often brought up by people opposed to God (and Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is…

[frankkster]

APOLOGIES, CONFESSIONS AND NEW LIFE

Ever hear of The Apology Line, a fascinating social experiment from the 1980s? Created by American conceptual artist Allan Bridge (1945-95), The Apology Line was a confessional phone system which used new technology of the time, an answering machine, to record confessions from anonymous callers. The concept was a stunning success. Over the 15 years the line was in operation, Wikipedia says more…

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FIXING THE WAYS OF MAN

This provocative quote, from the renowned member of the Monty Python comedy troupe, caused my brain to spin as I digested how Palin’s words connect with reality. Stay with me as I unpack this. Are atheists deaf to the word of God? Palin is probably referring to the Christian Bible, which many people believe is inspired by the creator and master of time, space and the universe. I’ll venture to…

[frankkster]

CON MAN? SAVIOUR? LUNATIC?

Oh boy. Where to start? If you’re reading this, I assume you’re open to spirituality and have probably not considered Jesus of Nazareth – who many people believe is the Son of God – to be any sort of con man. Apparently, the creator of this atheist meme believes these American megachurch pastors to be less than honourable. Just for fun, I asked Google if Jesus is a con man. The responses are…

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WHERE HE KNOWS YOUR NAME

“There’s something missing from my life. Sure, I have a nice wife, a career and a house; I guess I’m talking about that spiritual something to give it all meaning and enable me to be at peace with myself and the world.” This was a monologue from Norm, the barfly played so expertly by actor George Wendt on the dearly loved American comedy Cheers. I happened to see it while skimming videos on…

[frankkster]

FROM CHILDREN TO FAMILY MEMBERS

British comedian and atheist Jimmy Carr asks a good question and, since you might be asking the same thing, I appreciate the opportunity to answer, . First of all, as a follower of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God), I believe God created every person who ever was, is and will be. So yes, we are His children. But there’s a difference between being His children and…

[frankkster]

GOD, BONE CANCER AND BEAUTY

As you read the meme above, are you nodding your head in agreement? It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. We all know that this world is awash in beauty and pain, love and grief, anger and joy. The question that occurs to me is: why does British actor/writer/narrator/director/atheist Stephen Fry somehow conclude that this world’s enormous contrasts deny the existence of a creator? And does it…

[frankkster]

CONSIDERING A PURE HEART & GOOD INTENTIONS

Ah, peace. We all want it and most of us think we don’t have nearly enough of it. When I discovered this internet meme, three things immediately set my “spidey sense” tingling. 1. The creator of this meme believes the way to peace is good intentions and a pure heart. While lots of us have similar ideas about what makes up “good intentions”, I’m sure there are many points of divergence. The…

[frankkster]

UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED AND VALUED

“You’ve got to be clear that you don’t want certain customers coming in.” Chip Wilson, the founder of lifestyle clothing giant Lululemon, dropped those controversial words during a recent interview about the company’s direction since he departed in 2015. This takes me back to 2013, when an Abercrombie & Fitch executive created a media storm by shamelessly declaring the clothing retailer tried…

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COMPETITION? WHAT COMPETITION?

Has this ever occurred to you – that “religion” (a nasty term I want nothing to do with) and science are in some sort of wrestling cage match – and science has religion in a choke-hold? That’s certainly the point of this meme, helpfully provided by an internet atheism community, and it suggests that “religion” doesn’t work. Guess what? I’m a man of faith and I absolutely agree. Religion is all…

[frankkster]

FROM GOAT HERDING TO ARTFUL WRITING

Maybe you’ve heard about this criticism often made by atheists about the Christian Bible: it was written by people who were simply too primitive and ignorant to understand life and this world. And maybe you agree with these critics. But I trust you’re reading this now because you’re open to spirituality and open to exploring the credibility of a book that millions of people believe is the truth…

[frankkster]

FROM MARGARITAVILLE TO HEAVEN

I’ve been pondering the life of beloved singer/songwriter/entertainer/business mogul Jimmy Buffett, who died recently of skin cancer. Did you know he was a billionaire? Buffett parlayed his 30 albums and hit song “Margaritaville” into hotels, casinos, retirement communities, bestselling books and even his own brand of beer. He sold more than 20 million CDs and had legions of “parrothead” fans…